Follow the Lamb

those who have received the mark of the beast on their foreheads

persecution and threat of martyrdom

the incompleteness of 666

the dragon and his first beast whose habitat is the unruly sea
the Lamb who stands on firm and holy ground

the completeness of 144,000  

security in Mount Zion

those who have the name of the Lamb and of his Father written on their foreheads

.............

I really like how John Stott writes about the contrasts between Revelation 13 and 14 in the Bible study book we are using.   These are all his phrases, I just rearranged them.

Sand and sawdust, endings and beginnings.

Chaos and change.
Random disjointed thoughts about this random disjointed time.

Sharing a kitchen with extra people and without a stove.
Teething problems with plumbing.

Getting used to an absence of rubbish collection, wifi and cable TV;
and a presence of  big, fast vehicles on the road and wide open skies.

Weather changes, boat races, water running backwards.

Two big constant things ending,
not sure what the replacements will be like,
or even if there are replacements.

The start of the academic year in Cambodia,
the end of the academic year in Australia.

Sand and sawdust.
Living out of routine and out of boxes.

Grand Finale

Apocalyptic
It’s meant to unveil truths, which sounds like it should be fascinating 
but it seems a jumble of nonsense.

Apathetic 
It is part of God’s word so I know I need to read it but it doesn’t seem to teach me anything about God.
How on earth does it apply to me? 

Allusions
So many oblique references to the Hebrew Scriptures, but when you flip back it’s not exactly the same.
It’s hard to get interested.

Awkward 
We believe Gods word is full of life and power 
which sounds exciting,
but it feels like reading it aloud to kids or unbelieving friends will probably either put them to sleep or freak them out.



Amazing Authentic 
But when it comes to carefully studying the Revelation it does reveal the fascinating reality of another realm. 
A peek into the throne room, the Lion/Lamb takes the scroll from the enthroned one.

Astonishing Astounding
It shows who God is and what he has done.
Brimming with relevance and things to learn.



Awesome
A multitude washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,
The slaughtered Lamb who is the victorious Lion. 
He who was, who is and who is to come
He is alive for ever and ever
And he holds the keys to death and Hades

Velvet Ashes this week is curious, which reminded me of late last year when the expat woman's Bible study groups started reading Revelation. We had come to the end of one study and choosing what to do next. One of the options was the final book of the Bible, it seemed like most of us weren't that familiar with it. With the help of John Stott, along with Jensen and Barnett we have been working our way through. Hopefully this expresses some of our journey from curiosity and confusion to excitement.  

Connecting and the letter O

Connecting is the Velvet Ashes theme for this week. 
(I didn't really plan ahead for it but I ended up posting some photos from our time in Chiang Mai years ago. It felt like we had instant real community even though we had never been there before, and were only staying for a few months.) 

Overloaded

Motorbikes in Cambodia comfortably seat two people, but actually carry five and a pig.

We have so many electronic ways to communicate; email, SMS, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If I want to talk to someone overseas I just need to figure out if I want to Skype or use Messenger.

Communication is easy, fast and plentiful but can weigh us down.

Obvious

It’s plain for all to see when I sit and when I rise, they can perceive my thoughts from afar.

They can discern my going out and my lying down; they can be familiar with all my ways.

Obscured

The huge tip of the iceberg can be seen easily, but do we assume the tip is everything?

Despite the bombardment, all the information is filtered, cherry picked, out of context and decorated with sun rays.

A cool day in the tropics is considered a hot day elsewhere. That one is easily measured and joked about, but often the importance of context is invisible.

The abundance of communication can lead to miscommunication, frustrations. We might think we understand but we might be building assumptions around what we can see sticking out of the water.

Omniscient

He knows when I sit and when I rise, he perceives my thoughts from afar.

He discerns my going out and my lying down; he is familiar with all my ways.

decorated with sun rays

See also Context is your friend

and for the flip side Home assignment actually at home

A baby's life of Es

Exuberant.

She loves seeing Big Brother playing and dancing. She watches his every move and tries to copy him with a huge smile on her face.

Enthusiastic.

As soon as the music begins she starts dancing and singing. Her whole body is moving.

Excited.

When Daddy comes home she starts trying to jump up to meet him.

Eager.

She loves finding things she can drop on the floor so she can say “Uh oh!”

Earnest.

The way she concentrates as she pulls herself up on to the bed. Or the way she tries to take the lid off something.

Ecstatic.

Being tickled makes her laugh so hard she falls over.

Energetic.

Crawling towards an open door before Mummy can catch her.

Exhilarated.

Although she can’t walk by herself yet she can push a plastic chair across the room. It’s a new way to see the world from this upright position, a new type of independence.